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advice on woman’s UL packs


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  • #1238914
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    hey. i'm looking for some advice on a UL/lightweight pack for my wife that is large enough to hold a bear canister. right now i'm thinking women's GoLite Pinnacle or Jam2 (not sure if the Jam2 is large enough for bear canister) or Granite Gear Vapor Ki Womens. she currently carries an Osprey Atmos 35 but I don't think a bear canister can fit inside due the shape of the back panel. are there any other thoughts or suggestions? thanks!!!

    #1523810
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    I'm in the same boat as you. I'm looking to replace my wife's 3.75 lbs 40L MEC Pack before a weeklong hike that's coming up. I'm leaning towards the Jam.

    My understanding is that the mens Jam can hold a bear canister, but I don't know about the womens because it is small (43L vs. 50L). Do you both need to carry a bear canister though?

    The Vapor Ki looks like a nice pack, but it seems kinda big at 59L and it's also more expensive and heavier than the GoLite packs.

    I guess if the Jam is too small though, then the Pinnacle and Vapor Ki are pretty close. They are the same volume and similarly price, although the pinnacle is about 4oz lighter (30oz vs. 34oz as I recall). Also the Vapor Ki doesn't have hipbelt pockets, but I think it does have a light frame.

    #1523831
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    I had the same question about the women's Jam. I might send golite an email and see if the jam could hold a canister. If it can I think I'm leaning that way too. The Pinnacle and Vapor Ki are pretty similar overall I think. Between those it would probably depend on which we can find for the best deal.

    For most trips I don't think we'd both need to carry a canister however if we're going to get a new pack I want to make sure that it could. In the event that we needed to carry 5-7 days worth of food, I don't think I would want to carry all of her food for that long :). It would get pretty heavy.

    If anyone else has any thoughts or experience, please let us know.

    #1523835
    Donna C
    BPL Member

    @leadfoot

    Locale: Middle Virginia

    A bear canister does fit in the Jam2. It has to go in vertical and do some creative packing. My neighbor's wife bought a men's Jam2 because there really isn't much difference in the men's and women's shoulder straps and she used a Bear Vault for a recent JMT trip.

    I have a woman's Pinnacle, only because Jam2 doesn't come in a small. A canister also fits in that, both horizontal and vertical.

    #1523836
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    Are you sure a canister fits in a WOMENS Jam2? It sounds like you've only tried it in the mens version…which bigger (51L vs. 43L).

    #1523839
    CW
    BPL Member

    @simplespirit

    Locale: .

    Just to make sure it's out there a canister is completely unnecessary in the SE. In fact, that's true most anywhere on the East coast.

    #1523859
    Sarah Kuhn
    BPL Member

    @sckuhn

    Locale: Mountainous Ohio

    Problem with Women's Golite packs are the hip belt. Unless your wife is a VERY small lady (size 4 or 6), the padding on the hip belt stops almost before it hits the hip bones!! A real bummer for a lady. While I'm not on the small side, the Granite Gears seem to 'wrap' the hips better and still keep the pack weight down.
    Also, the convenient Golite belt pockets wind up being on your backside – not too convenient…

    #1523861
    cat morris
    Member

    @catt

    Locale: Alaska

    Love this pack! My bear canister fits easily into my vapor ki, but I pack with a bear vault solo. A garcia should also fit.

    The great thing about the vapor ki is the waist band & suspension. I've never had a more comfortable pack.

    My friend had a hard enough time fitting all her equipment into her Golite Jam without even having a canister, so I'm don't know how you'd get a garcia into a Jam.

    #1523872
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    Thanks all for the advice. I was worried about the women's jam not really having room for a canister. It looks like the Pinnacle or Vapor Ki might be the way to go.

    #1523874
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    Thanks all for the advice. I was worried about the women's jam not really having room for a canister. It looks like the Pinnacle or Vapor Ki might be the way to go.

    #1523875
    Andrew Richardson
    Member

    @arichardson6

    Locale: North East

    Wait wait..Chris had a good question. Why do you need a bear canister? Is this pack going to be for a specific trip that involves hiking through Grizzly country, or do you carry a bear canister all the time?

    #1523877
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    Oh sorry. No I've never carried a canister before and definitely don't need to on the east coast. We've taken about a trip a year out west the last few years. So far we haven't needed a bear canister (Zion, Glacier, Grand Canyon). I haven't made it over to California yet but I've been wanting to get out to the Sierras for some time. If we're going to get her a new pack, I just want to make sure its one that can carry a canister so we can go wherever we want to.

    #1523883
    Lynn Tramper
    Member

    @retropump

    Locale: The Antipodes of La Coruna

    I will second (and third on behalf o another female friend) that the GoLite hipbelts are not really very comfy for women, especially if you're gonna load it up with 5-7 days worth of food. I also second (and third) that the Granite Gear hipbelts and suspension are far more comfy on a woman's hips. I have no experience with the Vapor Ki.

    You also might consider Gossamer Gear packs. They were planning on making narrower shoulder straps a standard option on their packs to suit women, smaller men and maybe kids. Might be worth an enquiry???

    #1523913
    Backpack Jack
    BPL Member

    @jumpbackjack

    Locale: Armpit of California

    You might also look into a smaller bear canister. I use to carry the Garcia which is huge and heavy about 3-3/12 lbs empty I could pack enough food for 5-7 days for 2 guys. But now I carry the Bear Boxer half the size and half the weight, but I can still get enough food for 3-4 days for 2 guys. If you both had to carry bear canisters these are much smaller and fit in almost any pack, that would give you enough food for about 7 days for 2 people. Heres the link http://www.bareboxer.com/

    #1523917
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    It seems to me that you're only rarely going to be carrying a bear canister (if ever). If you are carrying a bear canister, it seems to make sense that you carry only one, not two, since they are so heavy. Accordingly, if you do need to carry a bear canister and it happens to not fit in her pack, why don't you just carry it and then pass some of your gear to her if you need to balance out the weight? You would need to be doing some pretty serious unsupported hiking if you both need large bear canisters….or perhaps a large bear canister won't fit in your pack?

    #1523924
    Donna C
    BPL Member

    @leadfoot

    Locale: Middle Virginia

    It would still have to go vertical as the height of the pack is the same as a men's Jam2.

    As for the hip belts…this is a personal decision. I wear the women's Pinnacle and love the belt. Yes, it is a bit more 'padded', if you call it that. The most I have carried in the pack is 28 lbs. I no longer care for the heavier padded hipbelts. They tend to rub and feel bulky on me. I no longer carry anything over 30 lbs for a long trip. If you are looking at packs with suspension, you may as well look at Gregory Jade as well. Or the Osprey Exos packs.

    Bear Vault solo can get 4 days of food in it, maybe more, depending on how well you pack it and depending on the type of food.

    #1523952
    Frank Deland
    Member

    @rambler

    Locale: On the AT in VA

    Gossamer Gear Mariposa plus has a photo of how their pack is designed to carry a bear canister on top. I like carrying the heaviest items on top. The Granite Gear Latitude is popular with women and packs by Deuter have women specific models. The length of the hip belt is very important. Thin waists do not allow many belts to be tightened enough. The belts are too long

    #1524020
    Lynn Tramper
    Member

    @retropump

    Locale: The Antipodes of La Coruna

    "If you are looking at packs with suspension, you may as well look at….the Osprey Exos packs."

    Oh yes, the Exos is the most comfortable pack I have ever carried (except maybe the LuxuryLite), even though the hipbelt doesn't appear to be very heavily padded. At just over 1kg, the Exos 58 has plenty of room for a canister and everything else (kitchen sink anyone???). I loaded an Exos up to 16kg (35lbs) and carried it for 4 hours. The weight was dreadful, but the pack stayed comfortable. If loads are gonna be heavier and large, it's really a pack worth considering!

    #1524106
    Trevor Wilson
    BPL Member

    @trevor83

    Locale: ATL -- Zurich -- SF Bay Area

    thanks for all the thoughts and advice on packs. i think you've given us lots to consider – potential packs, or just carrying one canister (something i've considered but thought it would be better to each carry one (i might have been wrong). ladies, its been great to hear your perspectives. all will help a lot as we consider our options.

    #1524131
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    I'd be interested in hearing a small women's experience with the Jam packs. My wife is fairly small (5'6", 120lbs) so it seems that the hipbelt padding for her will be long enough. Is the hipbelt padding length the only problem women are having with this pack? At 650g for the size small, I could easily get it under 600g by removing the hydration bladder and trimming the straps….that's pretty darn alluring compared to a kilo or more for some of the other packs being mentioned.

    #1524248
    Zack Karas
    BPL Member

    @iwillchopyouhotmail-com

    Locale: Lake Tahoe

    My wife is 5'4", 130ish (I'm too afraid to ask!) and uses the original Jam (the smallest men's version at the time, as there were no women versions then). She loves it and uses it for those trips where the pack might get abused, otherwise she now uses the ULA Conduit as the back mesh pocket is easier to find things in than the fabric pocket on the Jam. She has no problems with the hipbelt at all.

    Edit: her pack weighs in at 15oz with straps trimmed and she has not removed the foam back pad or hydration sleeve. The older Jams, in my opinion, are worlds better than the current Jams that weigh 2x more.

    #1527965
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    I ordered a small womens Jam for my wife who is 5'6" and 125lbs. It arrived yesterday but unfortunately it is too small despite my wife's torso being right in the middle of the recommendation length. Perhaps I'm just measuring not quite right.

    Anyways, we talked about the Vapor Ki but we are probably going to order her a medium womens Jam. The medium womens Jam weighs 700g and the Vapor Ki is 1051g…that's a 350g (or 12.5oz) difference which is pretty huge. Either one is a lot lighter than her current 1700g (3.75lbs pack).

    I wish Granite Gear made a smaller version of the Vapor Ki. 60 liters is massive for a women's ultralight pack. My wife doesn't need more than 40 litres which is another reason why I'm leaning away from the Vapor Ki….kinda silly to have all that excess capacity just begging to be filled. The Jam is way lighter, the right volume and it has hipbelt pockets. I'm sure the Vapor Ki is more comfortable for big loads, but my wife won't be carrying more than 13lbs since her base weight is 8lbs and she'll hardly be carrying food.

    #1528007
    Spruce Goose
    Member

    @sprucegoose

    Locale: New England

    I would guess that your wife will be happy with the Jam, as long as the sizing works out. It's at least worth a try.

    My girlfriend is about 5'4" and maybe 110 lbs. She's been exceedingly happy with the 2009 Jam2 over the 6 months since we purchased it. And the hip pockets work perfectly for her.

    #1528009
    Mike M
    BPL Member

    @mtwarden

    Locale: Montana

    are there any of the lighter women's pack that have swappable waist belts? I haven't found any.

    my wife tired out a small Exos 34 that I thought would be perfect for her- the torso length was spot on, the waist belt too small (padding ended too soon)- of course they're sewn in- I called Osprey about a getting a larger belt sewn in- no go.

    We looked at several others all were the sewn variety and typically the belt shrunk considerably w/ torso size going down.

    She ended up w/ a MS Woman's TrekLight Regular- (48 liters)- it fits perfectly and she really likes the way it carries- it's not very light though- I've got it trimmed down to just under 3 lbs, 48 liters while she has plenty of room could easily get by w/ less (~35 liters would be ideal)

    I'm thinking about getting her to try a ULA Conduit (or possibly a Ohm if they do decide and offer up a small) in a S/M- her torso length is right 17"

    not so easy finding a women's pack :(

    #1528011
    Lori P
    BPL Member

    @lori999

    Locale: Central Valley

    I carry the bear vault solo in the M plus the same way I do in my Granite Gear pack – vertically on top of shelter/insulation. I've also put it in the extension then put the strap over. Putting it under the Y strap outside the pack is asking for a run down a mountain as your can bounces away in the granite. The can squirts out from under the strap within minutes of putting on the pack (and I have the BV with the little bumps that supposedly snag on a strap).

    Having said that… the Mariposa Plus is a nice pack as is. I don't need women specific straps or belt and it carries 25 lbs very well. I have the aluminum stay.

    My other pack is a Nimbus Ozone – not precisely light but not heavy either. My load ranges between 25-35 pounds, and once up to 38 as I carried more food for a longer hike in a larger Bearikade Weekender.

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